(Minghui.org) Greetings Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
I’m 23 years old and I’ve practiced Falun Dafa since I was a child. After reviewing my cultivation path from a childhood to young adulthood, I would like to tell you how I began seriously cultivating, and about some of my cultivation experiences.
Born Into Dafa
I was very fortunate to grow up in a family of practitioners and I grew up listening to Dafa music. Around the time I could speak, my mother began to teach me to read Zhuan Falun word by word, recite Hong Yin, study the Fa and practice the exercises with my family. Even at a very young age, I always remembered the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance when I dealt with everything I encountered in my life. When I did the exercises, even if my legs hurt and my arms ached, I endured until the music ended.
When I was in the first grade, I was bullied by a classmate. I reminded myself that I’m a cultivator and that “As cultivators, you won’t fight back when you’re beaten or sworn at.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun) Others were helping me eliminate karma, so I tolerated it.
The other students couldn’t stand it and reported it to the teacher. That classmate was scolded by the teacher, and I comforted her. The teacher was surprised. When he told my parents they said that I practiced Dafa. He felt that I was very different from other children. Afterwards, that classmate didn’t give me any more trouble.
Because I practice Dafa, I never spent a penny on medical expenses. I remember when I was about 2 years old, my thumb was caught between metal gates. When I pulled my finger out from the gap, I saw that my thumb was as thin as a sheet of paper. I didn’t cry. My grandma, a practitioner, hugged me when she saw it, touched my thumb and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Master is watching, it’s okay.” When I touched it, my thumb was fine.
Until I was nine years old, I was very innocent without any human concepts and I knew how to use the Fa to measure everything I encountered, like a true Dafa practitioner.
However, as I came into contact with classmates in school, I gradually relaxed the requirements for myself, and followed ordinary people’s interests. I started to read comics and play games, etc. My grades, which were among the best in the class, began to decline. Although I still studied the Fa with my parents at home, once I was among ordinary people, I relaxed. I felt like I had too much homework and I was too lazy to practice the exercises. I didn’t study the Fa sincerely. When I encountered a problem I didn’t always follow the requirements of the Fa. Looking back at that time period, I have many regrets now.
Some practitioners around me call their children the “beneficiaries” of Dafa who were young practitioners before, but stopped practicing after they went to school and grew up. I thought: Cultivation requires learning the Fa, practicing the exercises, and enduring hardships. Wouldn’t it be much easier to be a “beneficiary” like them? It seemed that they had no problems in their lives and they were quite comfortable.
Although this thought just flashed through my mind for a moment, later on when I studied the Fa, I realized I still didn’t understand how valuable the Fa is. I thought it didn’t matter whether I learned or not.
During my winter school break when I was twelve years old, I knew that I was going to a new environment, and I was determined to practice hard and give up those ordinary people’s attachments and preferences. During that week, I stayed away from the Internet. I was completely immersed in the Fa every day, did the three things, and listened to Shen Yun music. In just one week, it felt like my body was transparent, and that layer of bad things which had enveloped me was gone—even my complexion improved.
But I couldn’t maintain that state of diligence and I slacked off. I became addicted to the Internet again, playing computer games secretly behind my parents’ backs, and my state fell into decline again. Master’s compassion enlightened me and gave me a big wake-up call. One time, I accidentally splashed a glass of water on my computer and it no longer worked. My parents asked me to search within for the reason, and afterwards they found out that I was secretly playing computer games. This made my parents feel very sad. I stood in front of Master’s picture and admitted my mistake.
Although I felt very remorseful at the time, my addiction didn’t stop immediately. Even without the addictive behavior, the thoughts still existed in my mind. As day after day I studied the Fa and adjusted my thoughts, I suddenly felt these entertainments were boring and I no longer thought about playing computer games.
Looking back, I also realize I was practicing hard with the mind of pursuit and studying the Fa with personal conditions and purposes to gain something. I hadn’t yet matured and treated Dafa rationally, therefore I was easily deceived by ordinary people’s various temptations such as fame, fortune, and sentimentality.
Because there was a Fa-study place in our neighborhood at that time, my family and I participated in group Fa-study every night. During Fa-study, I kept my neck and body posture straight with my legs double crossed until we finished reading. This Fa-study laid a solid foundation for my future. I also started to memorize Zhuan Falun. During this process, I found the joy of studying the Fa. After studying the Fa, I felt very happy and the more I studied, the more I wanted to learn. By memorizing the Fa, I also have a deeper understanding of the Fa’s meanings.
When I was 16 or 17, I understood cultivation from an even more rational perspective. Once at a Fa conference, I heard a practitioner from the media talking about his cultivation experiences and his difficulties in doing projects. I felt Master’s compassion which touched my heart and made me cry. At that moment, I had one thought: I must practice harder and live up to Master’s kindness.
From then on, whether I am at home or outside, I can persist in studying the Fa and always make sure I follow the standards of the Fa.
Cultivate Diligently and Improve Through Validating the Fa
Master always reminded me of the importance of studying the Fa during his lectures. I realized that when I encounter problems, I want to relax and slack off. I’m unable to make progress. This happens when I don’t study the Fa enough.
One morning, I got up and memorized a few poems from Hong Yin IV with my family. I hadn’t read them for a while. When I memorized the poem “The Truth Has Long Been Made Clear,” I suddenly understood something. I was not particularly clear about some parts of this poem before, but I was very moved when I reread it this time, with tears welling up in my eyes.
After I read Master’s articles “How Humankind Came To Be” and “Why This World Is a Realm of Unknowing,” did I truly understand the meaning of the word “outside of the greater universe.” In fact, Master explained everything clearly, and I feel Master’s compassion even more.
I understand from the Fa that as a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, we must not only study the Fa well, but we should also do the three things well, clarify the truth and validate the Fa.
In the past, it was difficult for me to speak up and clarify the truth directly to my friends because of fear. Sometimes I only mentioned Dafa and spoke about it as though I were a third party. The words often came to my lips, but I just couldn’t speak, and I missed many opportunities.
I distributed flyers to Chinese tourists at scenic spots and gradually broke through the barriers in my heart, and for the first time, I persuaded a tourist to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). There were a lot of Chinese tourists at that time. I saw other practitioners clarifying the truth to them and I also had a wish to join the effort, so I mustered up the courage and walked to a group of young Chinese tourists under a big tree. I gave them flyers and made a couple of opening remarks, then I asked them if they knew about quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations. They smiled at me and turned around to chat. Only one girl responded to me. She told me her name and said she wanted to quit the CCP organizations right away.
Every time I go to a scenic spots, I feel full of energy. When I think about fellow practitioners in China who are still being persecuted and that all sentient beings are suffering, I understand even more how difficult it is for Master. There’s a kind of persistence and joyfulness, whenever I see the awakening and the smiles of sentient beings. They all are the people with extraordinary origins.
Not long ago, when I was helping to take pictures at Merdeka Square, a group of tourists got off the bus which parked near me. One lady quickly walked up to me and asked me to help her take pictures. She was very happy when I agreed. I talked to her and asked her how she felt here. She said it was better here and the people were nicer than in China where the life is always filled with intrigue and stress, so she felt better abroad.
She began talking about her family. Our conversation felt very cordial, like friends who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. I thought this was Master arranging a destined person who was waiting to be saved to come to me and I shouldn’t miss this opportunity. Time waits for no one, so I began talking about Dafa. I asked her directly if she heard about Falun Dafa. I pointed to the practitioner clarifying the truth next to me and said, there are many Falun Dafa practitioners here.
She said that if one practiced Falun Dafa in China, one would get one arrested. I told her there was no charge to learn how to practice, not to mention that Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She agreed. I wanted the other practitioner to help her to quit the CCP but before I could say anything, she turned around and got back on the bus. I begged Master in my heart for this sentient being to come back. Sure enough, after a while, she got off the bus. She walked straight towards me with a big smile and it felt like she came here specifically to thank me. Then the fellow practitioner seized the opportunity to help her quit the CCP. Finally, this sentient being was saved.
I’ve been fond of art since I was a child, and today most of the Fa-validation projects I participate in are related to this. Through this experience, I deeply appreciated Master’s amazing arrangements for us, on each step along the way.
In June this year, I participated in the three-month training to join the Tian Guo Marching Band. At first, I felt I didn’t have enough time due to my busy work and I just wanted to participate with my family, so I lacked perseverance in my practicing. But when I saw band members were selflessly devoting their time and were very attentive, I thought of Master’s words: “Whatever you do, do it well.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIV)
I made up my mind to practice hard to be able to participate in the band’s performances so I could validate the Fa. As I practiced, I found that my character changed a lot, and my thoughts have become more stable. I lost a lot of my impatience and complaining mentality, and I’ve become more compassionate towards others. Even if I’m tired that day, I feel energetic as soon as the Dafa music starts playing. After three months, I finally had the honor of participating in the band’s first performance this year.
Concluding Remarks
Two years ago, one night at the end of 2022, I tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep, so I thought it would be better to get up and practice the exercises. It was in the middle of the night, and my heart was very calm. While I was meditating, I suddenly heard a voice asking: “What is your wish?” A thought immediately appeared in my mind: “I want to succeed in cultivation!” My soul was touched and I couldn’t stop crying, because I felt that this thought was not from my human side. It was my “True Self” and came from the very deep source at a high realm. Later, whenever I mentioned this experience to my family and fellow practitioners, I was moved to tears.
Sometimes I don’t study the Fa enough or I’m busy with things or I want to be lazy and relax, but as long as I think of that night and the vows I made, I sober up and calm down to study the Fa. Like the lines in the movie Once We Were Divine: “You were all divine once. Whether you can become divine again depends on how you choose.” I also hope that we - young Dafa disciples - will not forget the reason we descended to Earth. At this final moment, we can all be diligent, fulfill our mission, and help Master in the Fa-rectification.
These are some of my cultivation experiences. Please kindly correct me if anything is not in line with the Fa.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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